Gokula

This town is about 6km southeast of Mathura. This is an important place for followers of Vallabhacarya because he stayed here for a while. Vitthalanatha, the son of Vallabha established the town of Gokula.

In the Padma Purana the forest of Mahavana is called Gokula, but since the establishment of this town in the late 16th century, the locals refer to this place as Gokula.

What may be considered to be Old Gokula, where there is a major Krishna temple, is usually referred to as Mahavana. According to Narayana Bhatt the places that he describes as being Gokula are mainly found in the place now known as Mahavana (Old Gokula).

Gaudiya Vaishnavas often just visit Old Gokula and do not visit this place. There were seven temples (havelis) constructed here for the seven Deities that Vitthalanatha gave to his seven sons. They are Gokulanath, Mathuranatha, Gokulchandrama, Madana-Mohan, Dwarkanath, Vittalanath, and Brajbhushan. These temples still exist and are controlled by the descendants of his sons.

The original Deity of Gokulanath is still in the original temple. Most of the other original Deities have been moved to other places in Gujarat or Rajasthan. The location of the original Deities is listed below. There are many other temples in town, mainly built by the followers of Vallabha. Most of them are Krishna temples but there is one dedicated to Balarama and also the Mahadeva Siva Temple.